What makes conspiracy theories so intriguing? People have always loved to look beneath the surface and question what authority tells them. Conspiracy theories even did the rounds about Guy Fawkes' Gunpowder Plot back in 1605, but where the rumours used to be passed on by word-of-mouth in dark taverns, or through letters and books, now a simple blog post, YouTube clip or email are all it takes to spread a theory to millions of people worldwide within minutes.
Although some conspiracy theories sound pretty far-fetched, is it safe to dismiss them all as rubbish? Just because a theory sounds too outlandish to be true, that doesn't necessarily mean it's false. In the Iran-Contra affair, for instance, despite their robust denials, it emerged that members of the Reagan administration actually did sell weapons to their enemy Iran, and use the proceeds to fund the Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
Story-telling has always been important to people, who enjoy both concocting and listening to fantastic narratives. Conspiracy theories aren't just stories, though. People have learned not to trust governments, and know from experience that even the most plausible-sounding ideas handed out to them by politicians – like the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, for example – can turn out to be total fiction. If you can't trust what those in power tell you, why shouldn't a conspiracy theory be true?
Psychologist Patrick Leman says, 'It could be as simple as not wanting to believe that sometimes bad things just happen.' The idea of a world where no-one's in control, and ghastly experiences can overtake anyone for no reason, is terrifying. Conspiracy theories give us a reassuring sense that someone – even if it is an alien reptile - is pulling the strings.
Conspiracy theories have become a self-perpetuating industry. David Icke makes a living out of writing and lecturing about his ideas, and hundreds of other book authors and website owners profit from expounding their theories.
Theorists like Icke have a vested interest in keeping their ideas going and are experts at massaging the evidence to fit their world view. That's why they're so impossible to argue with, as Professor Chris French discovers in the film. Conspiracy theorists can always take up their fallback position, that the people arguing against their theory are actually 'part of the conspiracy' themselves.
The fact that conspiracy theories are so prevalent is a major worry for politicians and institutions. Authorities need people to believe in them, and when the public's automatic response is to question everything the authorities say, it undermines their power.
Internet tools like blogs, which often snipe at authority, are now as popular as mainstream media, especially with younger audiences. But this also means, as Mark Honigsbaum explains in the film, that misinformation can quickly be spread, whether accidentally or deliberately, and once out on the internet it's very hard to eradicate.
Governments are wising up to the threat of conspiracy theories, but still fail to make their machinations transparent enough. A lot of information remains under wraps, and what is released is often ambiguous or incomplete, so even if a conspiracy theory is investigated there's never any chance of reaching an indisputable conclusion.
It's become almost automatic for the public to doubt official explanations of world events, and it's been proved that sometimes they're right to do so. As global internet access expands, conspiracy theories will find an even greater audience, as people look for ways to bring some meaning to the world in which they live. In the end, though, only individuals can decide if they believe in a David-Icke view of a nightmare world, governed by cruel, self-seeking aliens, or if they prefer the explanation put forward by Rachel North, survivor of the London Tube bombings: 'Sometimes you don't know who's in control. It's scary, but that's how life is.'
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